Red Roses Say I Love You
by PoeticallyIncorrect1
Summary: Valentine's Day has always been a time for lovers...


_A/N Special thanks goes to Dragon's Daughter1980 for being my beta._

_**Red Roses Say, "I Love You"**_

Valentine's Day has always been a time for lovers; florists advertising _sweetheart_ bouquets, the restaurants their dinners for two and the candy stores the finest most expensive chocolates. In fact there was hardly a store in the city that didn't have some reminder of the holiday.

And for Patrick Jane Valentine's Day was more than that, it had once been a day of special memories. It was on that particular day that he had first met his wife and a year later the day he proposed to her. It was a on a Valentine's Day some years later Sarah had surprised him with the joyous news of her pregnancy. But now it was just another day to get through another day like all the rest that passed him by.

Valentine's Day found Patrick at the CBI office where he spent so much of his time. And although he might not ever say it aloud, he considered Teresa Lisbon and the rest of her CBI unit probably the only people he could come close to calling his friends anymore.

It was a little past lunch time and he was sprawled out on the couch listening to the comings and goings in the office as it slowly lulled him to sleep.

When he saw the vase with a dozen red roses delivered to Grace Van Pelt he smiled. He knew they could have only come from one person and the hopeless romantic he once was secretly approved of the match.

Van Pelt first looked surprised when the flowers landed on her desk and then blushed prettily as she read the enclosed card a delighted smile spreading over her face. Turning to glance at Wayne Rigsby she laughed when he blushed and pretended to be searching for something on his desk. "They're beautiful. Thank you," she said softly, the smile still on her face.

"Glad you like 'em," Rigsby replied. He looked up. "Hey, want to grab dinner at _Delmonico's_? I heard they've got a heart shaped pizza today."

"I'd love to. Just make sure you leave me some," she teased.

"Well, we could always order two," he replied, laughing at the expression of surprise on her face.

"That doesn't sound very romantic," she protested.

_Oh to be young and in love again _Patrick thought wistfully as he watched the two agents. Van Pelt had returned to her computer, a dreamy expression on her face while Rigsby just sat there watching the look of love unmistakable in his eyes

A couple of minutes later Van Pelt got to her feet and headed for the break room returning a few minutes later with a tall plastic glass of water. Setting it on her desk she glanced over at Patrick and carefully selected a single rose from the bouquet to place in the glass.

In a way the consultant was not at all surprised to see the young woman get to her feet and hesitantly walk over to the couch. "A rose is a thing of beauty is the most beautiful of all is the red, red rose," he said as she stood there the rose in hand.

"I thought you might like this, " Van Pelt said softly, holding out the rose. "After all nobody needs to be forgotten on Valentine's Day,"

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," he quoted. "Shakespeare."

"I know," she responded, "It's from _Romeo_ _and Juliet_. My favorite play in college,"

"And I imagine that you were the loveliest person ever to grace the role of _Juliet_," Patrick replied carefully taking the rose, touched by her simple act of friend ship. "Thank you…Grace."

She blushed slightly at the rare use of her first name. "You're welcome."

He gave her a wink saying, "Go have fun with Rigsby tonight."

"Oh, I will," Van Pelt answered. She turned to head back to her desk and paused. "How did you know I was _Juliet_?"

Patrick smiled and replied "It's more fun to keep you guessing." He set the rose on a nearby desk and lay back down closing his eyes. "Really, it's not all that hard. And I didn't go looking it up either."

"If you say so," she answered.

After the rest of the CBI agents had left for their evening pursuits Patrick picked up the rose. Carefully carrying the flower to his car, he made sure to get it to his house safely. Then as he silently ate his solitary meal the rose was on the table, the one bright spot in the otherwise mostly empty room, a reminder that in the darkness of his life others still cared.


End file.
